The change of work drives organisations to invest in continuous learning and sustainable thinking

According to Hertta Vuorenmaa, a lecturer at Aalto University and the director of the Future of Work research program, the nature of work does not change in steady global conditions, but at the moment, several uncertainties such as growing polarisation, challenging global political situation, and ecological challenges create pressure on individuals and organisations. The COVID-19 pandemic left behind an unevenly burdened environment, which sets new demands on learning skills and adapting to the changing work life. The role of immediate supervisors and self-leadership is becoming more significant as organisations divide – some employees wish to meet their coworkers face-to-face while others prefer remote work.

Organisations responsible for enabling learning

The consensus among researchers about the fourth industrial revolution shows that the change of work is an irreversible process, and the need to learn new skills and adapt to change is constantly growing. In the midst of a changing work environment, there is a fear among work life researchers of a "burnout pandemic," as the risk of burnout is perceived to be even greater now. A polarising community is difficult to lead and organise. Changing work occurs in a complex, pressurised, and uncertain context, and change is not easy or straightforward for anyone.

Learning and adopting new skills is crucial for the changing work and sustainability. Organisations have a responsibility to ensure that employees have the necessary skills and opportunities to learn new things. Creating psychological safety and focusing on sustainability within the organisation is crucial in promoting the learning process. Change evokes emotions in people, and the scale can range from extreme enthusiasm to extreme shame concerning, for example, new technologies and their usage.

To cope with the change as work careers become longer, employees need to adopt new ways of thinking about work and learn to work more sustainably with the new tools. Virtual work requires different skills and different thinking. Instead of thinking about virtual work solely as technology, using it will also require having the skills for virtual work. New tools should not be seen as a threat; instead, their usage should be considered from a human-centric perspective by identifying the tasks in which the employee excels and determining which tasks can be performed by a machine on their behalf.

Good leadership at the core

In the midst of changing work, the role of leadership becomes crucial. Good leadership, open communication, and respecting individuals create the conditions for developing a culture of learning within the organisation. A serving leader knows their organisation, creates a sense of fairness, and enables learning by focusing on the needs of employees and the community while anticipating potential future challenges. A good leader places the interests and well-being of the employees at the center of operations and strives for employees to learn and adopt new skills to build a sustainable work life.

An organisation focused on sustainability can examine the construction of future work through three steps: does your organisation already take care of anticipation and continuity management, a culture and leadership that values people, and conscious collaboration within the organisation and with stakeholders? In existing jobs, work should be approached through human sustainability by improving labor laws, job descriptions, and the roles that people are trained for. Human psychology and biology have remained the same, and changes in work rarely excite the employees.

Psychological safety and sustainability as driving forces of change

The changing nature of work and an increasingly complex environment, combined with technology-driven transformations, pose challenges to all types of organizations, individuals, and societies. A central theme that is now emerging is how organisations can help their employees acquire new skills and raise the quality of existing jobs. In organisations, change demands psychological safety and a mindset that aims for sustainability to enable a more sustainable and productive work life through learning. A psychologically safe atmosphere encourages learning, innovation, and mutual trust, which, in turn, support the construction of a more sustainable and productive work life. Understanding the effects of changing work for the community and skill requirements in your own organisation is crucial.

How to lead change in work sustainably?

This text is based on the expert speech of Hertta Vuorenmaa, lecturer at Aalto University and the director of the Future of Work research program in FITech's "Muuttuva työ, muuttuvat osaamistarpeet" webinar (in Finnish) on September 5, 2024. The recording can be found on FITech's YouTube channel.

Some concrete ways to learn key future skills and manage organisational change are provided, for example, by FITech and Aalto's free online courses FITech 101: Jatkuvan oppimisen johtaminen and FITech 101: Jatkuvan oppimisen taidot (in Finnish) and The Tools for Thinking podcast by Aalto's Future of Work project, the Finnish Association of Work Life Research and the WORK2030 program. 

FITech Network University

FITech (The Finnish Institute of Technology) is a network consisting of nine universities offering education in technology in Finland: Aalto University, University of Eastern Finland, University of Jyväskylä, LUT University, University of Oulu, Tampere University, University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University and University of Vaasa. Founding members are also Technology Industries of Finland (Teknologiateollisuus) and the Academic Engineers and Architects in Finland (TEK). FITech Network University is coordinated by Aalto University.

The founding mission of FITech is to increase the co-operation of Finnish technical universities. The goal is to guide experts to growth sectors in Finland and respond to competence needs arising in the field of technology. The projects of FITech network are funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Service Center for Continuous Learning and Employment (SECLE).